


Vices

by Calchexxis



Series: Saintsbride [1]
Category: Warhammer 40.000
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Lesbian Sex, Lesbians in Space, More plot than porn, POV Lesbian Character, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Sex, Smut, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, some alcohol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:53:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22026643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calchexxis/pseuds/Calchexxis
Summary: Following their flight from Holy Terra aboard a warship of the Adeptus Custodes after the destruction of the Cathedral of Saint Thor, and lacking anything productive to occupy her time, Katarinya Greyfax finds herself seeking solace at the bottom of a decanter of amasec until she is interrupted by her companion, the Living Saint Celestine, who is concerned for the Inquisitor's health and stability.Perhaps she shall find a measure of both in the arms of the Saint.
Relationships: Inquisitor Katarinya Greyfax/Saint Celestine
Series: Saintsbride [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1599868
Comments: 9
Kudos: 78





	Vices

**Author's Note:**

> The timeline of this story occurs between Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 of the Audio Drama 'Our Martyred Lady'. It's quite good, and I highly recommend it, and per usual I'm indulging in my talent for writing useless lesbians, so bear with me.

The dull clink of thick glass echoes around the chambers I’d been granted as I regard the amber liquid in the tumbler in front of me sullenly.

I so rarely indulge in any vices, especially amasec. It dulls the senses, saps reason and good judgment, and lifts inhibitions that are, quite frankly, there for a very good reason. Lord Inquisitor Trevayne is welcome to obscure his senses with as many narcotics as he likes, but I refuse to fall prey to the same excesses so many of my brother and sister Inquisitors do.

With that being said, I think I can permit myself this indulgence after the disastrous bombing of the Cathedral of Saint Thor.

God-Emperor, what a mess that was.

The fact that we managed to extract Ecclesiarch Deacis alive from that debacle was a miracle in and of itself, and was nearly enough to make me grant credence to Celestine’s claims of visions from Him On Earth.

Almost.

I take another drink, savoring the smoky burn of the amasec as it trickles down my throat.

“How far I have fallen,” I muse sullenly as I turn the glass about in my hand. “Drinking to dull the shame of failure aboard a warship of the Adeptus Custodes, in transit with an Ecclesiarch Lord who seeks to undo the writ of a Saint, and a false saint so soaked in the powers of the warp that she sprouts wings in battle.”

I sat the now-empty glass down on the desk I’d settled myself at before pouring another generous measure from the decanter.

Saint Celestine… Living Saint of the Emperor of Mankind.

An angel.

This was my torment; this woman, this warrior, this thing. Every iota of my Puritan beliefs tells me that she is no less than a vessel of the Enemy, a blind engine of warp-tainted power no matter how fair or beautiful. It has been my experience as an Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus, that fair faces oft come attached to liars, and yet…

Another mouthful of amasec slides down my throat as I stare dully up at the ceiling.

I stand, pushing the once-more emptied glass to the side and begin to pace, feeling restless as I consider my position. There is already so much corruption at my fingertips, and yet I can do nothing about it.

A Lord Inquisitor privately sanctioning an assassination.

A psyker abomination burning a holy cathedral to its foundation stones on the sacred soil of Holy Terra.

A High Lord of Terra, and the master of the Adeptus Ministorum itself, unraveling the writ of the Decree Passive.

Madness.

Utter madness.

A chime at my door, followed by a stiff knocking, startles me out of my thoughts, and I reflexively tighten the belt on my robe as I'm quite suddenly aware that I'm mostly unarmed. A quick steps over to the desk has running a hand beneath it and loosening the securement that keeps my bolt pistol in place, and I free it.

“Katarinya?”

Celestine’s voice comes muffled through the thick metal of the door, and I relax as I drop back into my seat and thumb the rune on the desk to release the door seals.

“Come in, Saint,” I reply.

The door slides open and Celestine enters, her dark hair falling neatly about a face that is colored with something like concern. She is, for once, not wearing her golden power armor, but is instead dressed in the simple robe and clean white surplice of a Sororitas Sister.

Her eyes dart between me, my empty glass, the decanter, and then to the bolt pistol which I am in the process of setting down.

“Expecting an attack, Katarinya?” Celestine’s lips twitch upwards just slightly, and despite myself I feel a ghost of a smile settle over me.

“I am an Inquisitor,” I reply aridly, “and in my line of work, paranoia is rather more of a job requirement.”

Nevertheless, I return the bolt pistol to its securement beneath the desk before picking up the decanter and filling my glass again.

“I wasn’t aware that you drank,” Celestine remarks as she took a seat from nearby and drew it up to the desk to join me as I sipped at the amasec thoughtfully.

“Only on rare occasions,” I admitted, “and even then, I rarely drink more than a single glass.”

“How many are you on now?”

“Three.”

Celestine chuckles, a soft, throaty sound that is annoyingly disarming, although I console myself in the knowledge that the woman herself is perfectly amiable, it's merely the source of her power that I find problematic.

“Did you need something?” I ask, swallowing another mouthful before setting the glass down and meeting Celestine’s gaze.

Her eyes are the fairest shade of green I’ve ever seen, and I can only liken it to the color of a thin leaf with the sun passing through it.

“We’ve been in transit for almost a week, and you’ve barely left your chambers,” Celestine points out, “and moreover, you’ve not said a word to me since we departed the Sol system.”

“I’ve had nothing to speak of, and you’ve had nothing to report,” I counter waspishly. “I fail to see what further interactions could yield.”

Celestine sighs quietly, and the look on her face was one of… sorrow? Certainly not pity, but there is something silently sad painting her features.

“What?”

“I’ve thought it before, but Inquisitors… you’re a very lonely breed,” Celestine remarks gently.

I relax, then shrugged as I brush a few errant strands of brown hair from my eyes. “We are… our lives are ones of suspicion and betrayal, even our own brothers and sisters are suspect. Each of us are a law unto ourselves, as Lord Trevayne is more than happy to remind me, and our doctrinal disagreements are significantly more fratricidal than they might be in another Adeptus.”

“Have you no companions?” Celestine asks, her head cocking curiously. “I’m given to understand that Inquisitors often travel with an entourage of some kind, don't they?”

“Most, not all,” I correct. “I prefer to work alone or with seconded detachments of Chambers Militant from other Ordos. It’s cleaner, and we all know our purposes.”

“I see,” Celestine looks thoughtful for a few moments before continuing as I take another sip of amasec. “No friends, no companion, no lover?”

I choke and the smoky liquor shoots painfully up through my nostrils as I hack and cough. The glass clatters loudly onto the desk as I thump my chest, trying to clear my abused lungs of the liquid while Celestine stares at me in alarm. I hold up a single forestalling finger before she can say anything as I clear my airway before finally glaring up at her in irritation.

And perhaps a touch of bruised pride.

“Did you just ask,” I begin tersely, “if I, an Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus, routinely laid naked and unarmed with another? Does the answer to that not strike you as painfully _obvious _!?”__

__“You must trust _somebody! _” Celestine insists. “Even my beloved Sisters find solace with one another at times.”___ _

____I suppose that probably shouldn’t surprise me, but it does. The notion, rather, just hadn’t occurred to me prior to Celestine stating it out loud, but I suppose it makes a certain kind of sense. The pressures of battle and shared trials forge powerful bonds between people, and it didn’t require a significant leap of logic to see that bond treading such grounds._ _ _ _

____“Novitiate Sisters often seek reprieve in the arms of their fellows,” Celestine continues casually. “The strain and pressure of war against the unclean is a terrible weight and, when battle is done, it isn’t uncommon for those who have suffered to seek peace with those who suffered alongside them, sometimes with older Sister Superiors, or even their Canonesses.”_ _ _ _

____“Isn’t that last one against protocol?” I ask blithely, and Celestine chuckles._ _ _ _

____“Technically, only sustained relations are against protocol,” Celestine points out with a grin._ _ _ _

____“Considering your entire order exists thanks to a technicality in the Decree Passive, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised,” I note blandly as I mop up the small spill I’d created before refilling my glass._ _ _ _

____Again._ _ _ _

____“Those Sisters whose bonds are strongest, fight hardest, I’ve found,” Celestine looks thoughtful as she speaks. “Driven not only by their love for the Emperor and His grace, but for one another, and the absolute trust such a thing instills is a weapon no less mighty against the enemies of the Imperium than a bolter or a blade.”_ _ _ _

____“I’ve found a bolter to be significantly more effective, personally,” I reply with a chuckle, and she laughs along with me._ _ _ _

____It’s a bit galling to admit that I find Celestine’s laugh to be quite pleasant. It a pure, clear, ringing sound that starts in her chest, and rarely fails to force a matching smile onto my face, regardless of my thoughts on the matter. As her laughter dies down, though, she gives me that strangely sorrowful look again and reaches out a hand to mine._ _ _ _

____“I do worry about you, Katarinya,” Celestine says quietly._ _ _ _

____I stare at where her fingers rest lightly on my hand and I find that, despite my reservations about the woman, her touch is surprisingly warm._ _ _ _

____Surprisingly _human _, I suppose.___ _ _ _

______As a Living Saint, Celestine is human in only the most technical of terms. She is immortal, for certain definitions of the word, and has lived and died, only to live again and die again uncounted times._ _ _ _ _ _

______Perhaps it's the amasec, but I find myself admiring how very human she still is in spite of everything._ _ _ _ _ _

______“You always call me Katarinya,” I say suddenly, and even I am not fully certain where the words are coming from, although I I suspect they may have originated in the decanter. “My given name, so few use it out of fear or respect for my position, but not you, why?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Celestine draws back a little, and I find myself curiously missing the touch of her hand. She makes a small noise of consideration as she looks me over, then smiles wanly._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I suppose it is because I think of you as something like a friend,” Celestine admits. “And even if the notion isn’t a shared one… I respect you, Katarinya, and care for you.” She looks sad again, only this time the expression isn’t directed at me but seems more inwardly aimed. “I know you are a good woman, Inquisitor, and I have faith in your choices, I trust you and I think that, perhaps, I simply wish you to be happy.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______I feel sorely wrong-footed at Celestine’s admissions. I cannot deny that Celestine’s natural inclination towards wearing her emotions acid-etched on her skin is something that regularly puts me off-balance, but this is a step further._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Happiness is not a luxury I can afford,” I reply after a moment, although the words come through surprisingly raw. “Nor can the Imperium afford me my happiness, Celestine.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Celestine sighs again, nodding at my tone._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Whether or not you trust me, and I know you do not,” she meets my eyes with that disarmingly gentle green gaze of hers, “can you trust that I love the Imperium, the Emperor, and His people? That I would lay my life down again and again for them?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______An unfamiliar pang of regret settles in my chest as she withdraws from me further, and without thinking I all but lunge out to grab her hand, startling her as my half-full glass of amasec sloshes dangerously in my grip._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Celestine wait!” I start, my tongue tying itself in knots as I try to work out on the fly what it is I want to say. “I… it’s not that I don’t trust you,” I begin uneasily, “I trust no power whose provenance is the Warp, not even my own, you see?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“My powers are a gift from the God-Emperor,” Celestine says a bit more sternly. “Inquisitor or no, you forget that it is the grace of Him On Earth who guards us against the Ruinous Powers, and if they can grant their foul heretics power, why then can the Emperor not empower his own loyal servants?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“But how can you know?” I press furiously. “You cannot know that you draw from the God-Emperor and not from some tainted well and it is my duty to ask that question and remain suspicious above all else, in order to guard from the Threat From Within!”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Celestine relaxes slightly, turning her hand so our palms meet and she takes my hand with gentle grace._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Perhaps you are right,” Celestine allows, to my surprise. “Not about my powers, but about your duty… I had not considered it from that avenue.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“I…” I had not expected to be agreed with. “Then, in the spirit of things, perhaps I can allow that I had not considered the God-Emperor’s gifts from your own perspective.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Admitting that is been like pulling a tooth from an angry grox, but the smile that appears on Celestine’s face in reply makes me feel that it was quite worth it._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Thank you, Katarinya,” Celestine says softly._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Katta,” I say suddenly, prompting a widening of Celestine’s eyes in surprise. In honest, I'd caught even myself off-guard. “I had friends once… in the Schola Progenium where I was raised, before I was scouted by the Inquisition, and they… they called me Katta.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Katta…” Celestine speaks the word warmly, and I scowl._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Only when it is just us,” I say sharply, but I don't let go of her hand._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Did you mean it?” Celestine asks, rather than responding to my barbed reply. “About your trust? Does that mean that you trust me?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______I find myself curling my fingers around Celestine’s hand, taking a firm hold that she returns with gratifying strength._ _ _ _ _ _

______“What I say… it does not leave this chamber,” I begin, my voice tight and sharp, and Celestine nods. “I have no friends, only allies of convenience and enemies whom I have deemed, and been deemed in return, to be less of a threat than whatever we’re currently trying to kill.” Celestine doesn't speak, she simply holds my hand and nods again, and I find myself absurdly comfortable with the contact. “Inquisitors of my breed do not easily trust, some do not trust at all, and although your powers give me cause for grave concern, you, Celestine… I… trust you.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Celestine’s smile could have brightened a Necron Tomb-World._ _ _ _ _ _

______If I have not said it before, I’ll say it now; Saint Celestine is saintly in more than just the literal sense. She is perfection carved from fair marble, and by appearance alone she could be called angelic, her very literal wings notwithstanding. Celestine, the woman, has strong, patrician features, giving her a powerful bearing of aristocratic beauty, with full lips that curve fuller when she smiles, and a surprisingly delicate nose that wrinkles just slightly when she laughs._ _ _ _ _ _

______It’s quite charming, actually._ _ _ _ _ _

______“You may be the only person I trust,” I continue, the words spill out of me without my intending it. “In point of fact, and with all due respect to the God-Emperor,” Celestine’s eyebrows rise to her hairline at those words, “I’ll admit that if His Divine Majesty were to step off of the Golden Throne to personally deliver me a missive that contradicted something you had told me, I would thank Him politely for His time and attention, but inform Him that I’d prefer to take you at your word.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Tears glitter faintly in Celestine’s eyes, and I stare sullenly down at the mostly empty glass in my hand wondering just how of much it I can reasonably blame that last outpouring on. That's probably unfair to both myself and Celestine, though, since I hadn’t spoken a word of lie, nor even exaggerated._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Truly?” Celestine asks softly, and I nod._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Do you think I’d be imbibing in your presence if I didn’t trust you?” I gesture to the amasec on the desk. “Dulling my mind and reflexes on purpose, and not even armed at that?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“You have a bolt pistol under your desk,” Celestine points out, and I shrug._ _ _ _ _ _

______“What Inquisitor doesn’t?” I retort with a small laugh. “The fact that I still have it secured there with the safety on should be all the proof you need.” I push the glass away despite it still being half full, feeling I’d done quite enough drinking for the evening if the slight sway of my vision is anything to go by. “Celestine, you are always honest with me, for which I am truly grateful, so let me perfectly blunt.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______I meet her gaze and her smile put a warmth in me that has nothing to do with the amasec._ _ _ _ _ _

______I take a deep breath, steadying myself, and asked: “I… am safe with you, aren’t I?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______It has been many long years since I’d permitted myself to feel as vulnerable as I do in this moment. Vulnerability, in my line of work, is often synonymous with stupidity, incompetence, or death._ _ _ _ _ _

______Or all three, come to think of it._ _ _ _ _ _

______But here and now, with Celestine, that vulnerability is almost a comfort._ _ _ _ _ _

______Celestine stands, walks to my side, and goes to a knee beside me, and I for a moment I can only appreciate the differences in our stature. I'm not short, but nor am I particularly tall, although my power armour makes up for that somewhat. Celestine, on the other hand, is statuesque, clearing two meters easily, and even kneeling she can look me in the eye without strain from where I sit._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Always,” she says softly. “You will always be safe with me, Katar-… Katta.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______I can smell her, I realise. This close to her the scent of roses fills my nostrils, mixed with the faint scent of oils from her sacred battlegear and the sharp but muted tang of incense from her prayer cell. It all mixes together to create something very uniquely ‘her’ that I can't banish no matter the effort._ _ _ _ _ _

______For once, I put aside considering my actions, grab the glass of amber liquid, slug it back, and throw it over my shoulder to shatter on the floor._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Frak it,” I mutter and moves forward, reaching out and tangling my fingers into Celestine’s long, and surprisingly soft, dark hair, so I can pull her forward, and kiss her._ _ _ _ _ _

______I was kissing a Living Saint; the thought is almost hysterical, and although she stiffens in shock for a moment, it's only for that moment, and then Celestine is pulling me closer, her arms sliding beneath my robe and around my waist, pulling me into her embrace which I eagerly surrender to._ _ _ _ _ _

______Our lips meet again and again as Celestine rises to her full height, carrying me with her as her hands find an all-too-pleasant grip on my waist. Those powerful arms and broad back bear my weight easily as she hefts me up and carries me to the back of the room._ _ _ _ _ _

______To my bed._ _ _ _ _ _

______It's wide and long, built for the stature of one of the Adeptus Astartes on the rare occasion he might need to lay down to rest._ _ _ _ _ _

______With that said, the bed is almost certainly sturdy enough for the pair of us despite its creators likely never envisioning it being put to this particular use given who it was made for._ _ _ _ _ _

______I pull at Celestine’s robes, and the soft, silken fabric slides off of her easily. The rest of her body is deliciously bare underneath, and my hands rove down her sides and across her abdomen, where I let myself appreciate the strong muscles I find there._ _ _ _ _ _

______Celestine’s hands are far from idle, and she has my robe off of me and on the floor by the bed in moments. My undergarments go next, and finally her lips find my neck where she lays kiss after kiss down to my collar, her tongue tracing a gentle, pleasing line along my clavicle as her fingers trail past my waist to hook beneath my thigh and drag my leg up and around her._ _ _ _ _ _

______I run my fingers through Celestine’s soft hair as her lips touch every inch of my neck, up along my chin, and find my own lips again in a passionate lock._ _ _ _ _ _

______A throaty, needy moan I barely recognise as myself rumbles out of me as I drag my fingers down her back, relishing the perfect curves of her shoulders while her hands find all the soft, sensitive places on my body that I didn’t even know were there. As one of her hands skips across my navel I buck my hips on reflex, accidentally dragging an exceptionally sensitive part of myself against her thigh which is positioned just between my legs._ _ _ _ _ _

______My whole body locks up as pleasure shoots through me, and my body nearly seizes as I curl around her to weather the unfamiliar and overwhelming sensation._ _ _ _ _ _

______Rather than press forward, Celestine cradles me with infinite care, pulling me close and laying down beside me as I shiver in her arms. Her powerful body is almost wrapped around me, and I find that I don't mind it at all, being enclosed like this._ _ _ _ _ _

______Only so long as it is Celestine._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Are you alright, Katta?” Celestine asks softly, and I nod._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Sorry, just…” I pause, feeling a little put out that I'm acting like a juvie on her first night. “This is just new to me is all.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“We don’t have to continue,” Celestine’s voice is gentle as she turns my head up and looks down at me in a manner I can only describe as lovingly. “Are you sure you want to-”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Saint Celestine,” I begin tersely, “I swear by Him On Earth, if you stop now I will personally clip your wings.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Saint or not, Celestine’s smile is positively devilish as she pulls me into another, deeper kiss while she hand slid down past both our waists, and her fingers tease infuriatingly at my core._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Celestine…” I let a note of pleading enter my voice, and she replies as I had hoped she would._ _ _ _ _ _

______One finger at first, delicate and slow, slides inside of me, and I shudder as sensations I haven't felt since my first, ahem, personal explorations in the Schola roll through me. Celestine is exceedingly gentle as she curls her fingers again and again, her thumb rolling at the sensitive nub beneath my hood, and I let out small cries of pleasure that are certainly not squeaks as I press myself harder against her._ _ _ _ _ _

______My hips roll and buck of their own accords, and in my blind lust, I let my hands wander down to Celestine’s wet sex where I do my utmost to return the affections she's giving me._ _ _ _ _ _

______I must’ve done something right, because Celestine gasps softly and bucks her hips in passionate reply._ _ _ _ _ _

______“More,” I whisper softly, “please… more.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Whatever you want,” Celestine moans huskily, before silencing me with her lips and sliding a second finger inside of me._ _ _ _ _ _

______I sigh in satisfaction as her free hand goes to the small of my back, pulling me ever closer to her until she is all I can feel. She is all I want to feel in this moment; the firmness of her form, the gentle strength of her body, the warmth of her breath and the wetness of that most sensitive part of her._ _ _ _ _ _

______I must have been pent up, because I only last another few moments before I let out a sharp cry as blinding pleasure flash through my mind and my legs lock around Celestine’s hand. Something about my climax must have pushed her over hers too, though, because no sooner do I shudder to release than she does the same, and warm liquid drenches my fingers as she strikes her peak before relaxing with a shaky sigh._ _ _ _ _ _

______Without thinking, I pull my hand free of her and bring it to my lips, licking it clean as she watches with widening eyes._ _ _ _ _ _

______To my surprise, I rather like the taste._ _ _ _ _ _

______Before Celestine can say a word, I turn and put my back to her, then inch backwards until I'm pressed flush against her. I lay there silently for a few moments before casting a sullen glare over my shoulder at her._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Well?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Celestine chuckles quietly, then wraps me in her embrace again and pulls herself in around me until her entire body is curled pleasantly around mine. Then she reaches down, seizes the edge of the sheets and blankets, and pulls them over us before burying her face against the top of my head._ _ _ _ _ _

______Sleep finds us quickly, or at least it does me, and for once my dreams are silent._ _ _ _ _ _

______For so long I have been dreaming of disaster, torment, and daemons. I dream of the rotting, collapsing edifice of the Imperium falling upon its citizens and crushing them beneath the weight of heresy and ignorance. I dream of soulless metal armies with faces like skeletal death advancing across the broad thoroughfares of Holy Terra, its citizens reduced the less-than-ash by unholy weapons._ _ _ _ _ _

______Now, though, in the arms of a Saint, my dreams are finally quiet._ _ _ _ _ _

______I wake later, three hours later if the chronometer was reading correctly which is not given in the warp, and feel a small stab of irrational panic before reason, and physical sensation, reasserts itself._ _ _ _ _ _

______Celestine is still wrapped comfortably around me, her breath coming and going in the slow, easy exhalations of slumber._ _ _ _ _ _

______One arm is beneath my head and wrapped around my body coming to rest over my ribs, while the other is laid peacefully on my hip, and every so often I feel her fingers twitch as if caressing my skin. I lay a hand over the one on my hip and on a whim let my fingers twine with hers._ _ _ _ _ _

______As if by instinct, her fingers curl around mine and stop twitching as they find their grasp. It's as though that's what she’s been waiting for all along._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Katta…”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Celestine breathes my name and tightens her grip around me, and a shiver goes down my spine as I turn to reply only to find her eyes still closed and her breathing still at the same tempo it had been when I’d awoken._ _ _ _ _ _

______She's still asleep._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Celestine?” I whisper back, “are… you dreaming?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______I turn in place, freeing my hand from her grip, and she frowns in her slumber until I settle myself again and I wrap my arms around her waist. That seems to relax her, and she sighs quietly, pulling me close in her sleep until she is all my senses can detect._ _ _ _ _ _

______It's strangely comforting, that._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I dreamt of you,” her voice came quietly, and I jump slightly in her arms prompting a small chuckle as she pulls back._ _ _ _ _ _

______“If you were awake you ought to have said something,” I say irritably as I turn my head up in her embrace to meet her eyes._ _ _ _ _ _

______I can't resist leaning in to kiss her again, and she responds enthusiastically. Enough so that I quite forget why I’d been annoyed until she pulls back._ _ _ _ _ _

______“You are beautiful, Katta,” Celestine whispers, her hands running along my sides beneath the sheets, and I shiver at the delightful pressure of her touch._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Celestine…”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Celly.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______I raise an eyebrow, and she chuckles._ _ _ _ _ _

______“You were not the only one with a Schola nickname,” she confides with a smile. “I was raised in the Progenium as well, as Honora Celestine, but my classmates called me ‘Celly’.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“I would have expected ‘Nora’, actually,” I reply with some amusement._ _ _ _ _ _

______“There was already a Sister Nora, one of the Sisters Famulous in fact,” Celestine’s hands roam across me as she answers. “Sister Nora was… decidedly unpopular with the Sister Novitiates.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______I can't help but laugh at the thought, and it bubbles up out of me with uncommon volume. By the time I master myself, Celestine is beaming at me._ _ _ _ _ _

______“What?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Nothing,” Celestine says, shaking her head. “Only that I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh so honestly before.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Nor shall you often,” I reply somewhat grimly. “This… what happened tonight… you know that-”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“I know,” Celestine replies, and I'm somehow grateful she doesn't make me say it. “But tonight has not yet passed, has it?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______I glance at the chronometer, then back at Celestine with a small smile._ _ _ _ _ _

______“No… it hasn’t,” I agree._ _ _ _ _ _

______This… whatever this is… that has happened between Celestine and I can never, and will never, leave this chamber, but then again there is no reason to leave the chamber til morning, is there? The thought of it never happening again is painful to me, though, and I can't help but compare it to my drinking habit._ _ _ _ _ _

______A habit that I indulged in so rarely, after all, so perhaps…_ _ _ _ _ _

______As I ran my fingers through Celestine’s hair once more, I reflect on the fact that, while I’d never admit it to Lord Inquisitor Trevayne, I may have just a few vices._ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
